Evaluation of toxicity of thymoquinone, as a bioactive compound of nigella sativa using isolated mitochondria from different organs

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine thymoquinone (TQ), as a bioactive compound of Nigella sativa, from a safety point of view and to evaluate the possible toxic effects on isolated mitochondria as a screening tool for drug safety and predictive toxicology. Mitochondria were isolated form different organs (brain, heart, kidney and liver) and treated with various concentrations of TQ (0–2000 µM). Mitochondrial toxicity parameters such as succinate dehydrogenases (SDH) activity, mitochondrial swelling, lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) collapse were analyzed. Results showed that various concentrations of TQ did not induce any toxicity or abnormalities in isolated mitochondria obtained from brain, heart, kidney and liver. We demonstrated for the first time that TQ does not cause any detrimental effect on isolated mitochondria from different organs of rat. Our data highlight that TQ does not directly interact with mitochondria and disrupt the mitochondrial functions.